Paul Simon, Edie Brickell arrested on disorderly conduct charges

NORWALK, Conn. — Paul Simon and his wife, Edie Brickell, were arrested on disorderly conduct charges by officers investigating a family dispute, but the couple held hands in court Monday and said they did not feel threatened by the other.

Simon told a Norwalk Superior Court judge that he had a rare argument with his wife Saturday night at their home in New Canaan.

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The arrest struck a discordant note for the couple. Simon burst onto the national stage with his former partner Art Garfunkel in the 1960s, adding a gentle voice to the growing chorus of opposition to the Vietnam War. Brickell, meanwhile, gained fame for her songs that blend rock, folk, blues and jazz.

A caller from the singers’ home dialed 911 Saturday night and hung up, police chief Leon Krolikowski said at a news conference Monday. Officers who responded found minor injuries and believed it was a case of domestic violence, he said.

Simon and Brickell, who have been married for more than two decades, were each given a misdemeanor summons and one of them agreed to leave and go to another location, Krolikowski said.

“There was aggressiveness on both sides,” he said. “They’re both victims and they have children involved and we’re trying to be very cautious of that.”

An attorney representing the couple, Allan Cramer, said the incident was very minor, though there was a slight shove. He didn’t say who did the shoving.

“They are here together, they get along fine with each other,” Cramer told reporters before the hearing. “If it were Joe Blow we wouldn’t be here. You certainly wouldn’t be here. These people have had a wonderful life together and they’ve never had these types of problems.”

At Monday’s hearing, Simon and Brickell each said the other was not a threat. Judge William J. Wenzel said he did not see a need for a protective order.

“We’re going to go back home today. We’re going to watch our son play baseball,” Simon said.

Simon, 72, and Brickell, 47, were asked to return to court on May 16.

Simon’s agent in Los Angeles did not immediately return a call seeking comment. An agent for Brickell did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Simon is a 12-time Grammy winner and member of The Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – as half of the duo of Simon and Garfunkel and as a solo artist.

Last month, he wrapped up a national tour with Sting.

Brickell is perhaps best known for the song “What I Am,” recorded with her band the New Bohemians and released in 1988.

She collaborated last year with comedian Steve Martin, who has an acclaimed career as a folk musician, for the roots album “Love Has Come for You.” The pair won a Grammy for best American Roots song in January.

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